UNITED STATES HISTORY · MR. CUTLER · 2026–2027
3.1 Assignment Sheet and Daily Lessons
Unit 3: The Road to Civil War and the Unavoidable Conflict
1830–1860 · Assignment Sheet and Essay Directions
Unit lessons: October 19–December 4, 2026
Essay checkpoints continue through December 16.
Read Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, investigate how enslaved people exercised agency, and explain how slavery’s westward expansion deepened sectional conflict. Develop a 4–5-page essay in one shared Microsoft Word online document.
Jump to: Class expectations · Reading and seminar dates · Essay deadlines · Daily schedule · Essay assignment · Wright family · Citations · 100-point rubric · Handouts and sources
Class expectations and meeting days
Section 1: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Sections 2 and 3: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Shared meeting days: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Major seminars and written deadlines fall on these shared days.
Reading is due before your class. Written deadlines are 3:25 p.m. unless otherwise stated. “Continue reading” means keep working toward the next listed reading deadline.
We will complete the main lessons together, using printed passages, handouts, partner work, and class discussion. PDF copies are linked below. Write class responses on the handout or in your notebook. Use the shared Word file for the essay. Submit seminar reflections on Canvas.
Central questions: How did people act toward their goals under coercion? Why did the expansion of slavery intensify regional conflict? Treat “unavoidable conflict” as a historical claim to investigate.
Reading, seminars, and reflections
Follow chapter numbers and titles in your Dover copy. Read the opening Note if your edition includes one, the author’s Preface, and the editor’s Introduction for the first seminar. The Appendix is optional.
| Seminar | Read before class | Reflection due on Canvas |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 30 | Opening materials and Chapters I–X: “Childhood” through “A Perilous Passage in the Slave Girl’s Life.” | Monday, November 2, at 3:25 p.m. |
| Monday, November 9 | Chapters XI–XXI: “The New Tie to Life” through “The Loophole of Retreat.” | Friday, November 13, at 3:25 p.m. |
| Friday, November 20 | Chapters XXII–XXXI: “Christmas Festivities” through “Incidents in Philadelphia.” | Monday, November 30, at 3:25 p.m. Class time is provided after the break. |
| Friday, December 4 | Chapters XXXII–XLI: “The Meeting of Mother and Daughter” through “Free at Last,” finishing the narrative. | Monday, December 7, at 3:25 p.m. |
Prepare for each seminar: bring your Dover copy, three marked passages, two open-ended questions, and one example of a choice made under constraint. Use the relevant guide for character names, historical context, and discussion questions.
Reading quiz: each seminar begins with a five-minute, five-question paper quiz distributed by Mr. Cutler. Answer briefly from memory. Then open your book for discussion. Quizzes and answer keys are not posted here.
Seminar reflection: explain one contribution you made, one idea you developed after listening, and one specific improvement for the next seminar. These reflections are separate from the essay self-evaluation.
Emergency text: Complete Jacobs text at Project Gutenberg. Online access does not replace the required print Dover copy.
Hybrid essay checkpoints
All essay checkpoints are due at 3:25 p.m. Complete them in the same shared Microsoft Word online file. Unit 3’s final reading seminar is December 4. The next unit begins December 7, with brief class support for the remaining essay checkpoints.
| Date | What is due |
|---|---|
| Monday, October 26 | Shared Word link. Create your essay file, give Mr. Cutler editing access, and submit its link on Canvas. |
| Monday, December 7 | Thesis and opening paragraph. Write a 1–2-sentence working thesis within a complete introduction of about 120–170 words. Establish context, introduce the purpose of the comparison, and make a claim about Jacobs’s strategies and their limits. |
| Wednesday, December 9 | Body-paragraph plan. For every planned body paragraph, include an analytical topic sentence, at least two research points with exact source locations and proposed footnotes, and 2–3 sentences explaining how the evidence supports the claim. Aim for about 4–5 body paragraphs. |
| Friday, December 11 | Complete draft. Finish the 4–5-page essay, including developed paragraphs, conclusion, footnotes, and bibliography. An outline or partial draft does not meet this checkpoint. |
| Monday, December 14 | Peer review and self-evaluation. Participate in the 25-minute class peer review. After your bibliography, complete all four categories of the 100-point rubric below. Explain each proposed score and identify specific revisions. |
| Wednesday, December 16 | Final essay and updated self-evaluation. Revise, verify quotations and citations, update your four rubric entries and proposed total, and submit the same shared Word link on Canvas. |
Daily assignment schedule
October 19–23 · Agency and westward expansion
Monday, October 19 · All sections
In class: Read the supplied Jacobs passage in Agency Handout, page 1. In pairs, underline an action and circle a limit. Discuss Jacobs’s father, then write a 3–4-sentence response on the handout or in your notebook.
Homework: Begin or continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Tuesday, October 20 · Sections 2 and 3
In class: Use Westward Expansion Handouts, pages 1–2. Calculate Senate totals in pairs, read the Missouri clause together, and discuss Eliza’s supplied passage. Connect territorial expansion, forced labor, family separation, and political representation.
Homework: Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Wednesday, October 21 · All sections
In class: Open the Wright Family Reading Guide or use the printed two-page reading. Read page 1 together and begin Question 1 in your notebook, using 2–3 sentences. We will continue Friday.
Homework: Continue Jacobs for October 30. No additional Wright-family homework.
Thursday, October 22 · Section 1
In class: Complete the same Westward Expansion lesson, pages 1–2, assigned to Sections 2 and 3 on October 20. Use the Senate model and supplied passages to connect expansion to regional conflict.
Homework: Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Friday, October 23 · All sections
In class: Continue the Wright-family reading. Read page 2 together, discuss Source B, and answer Questions 2–3 in 2–3 sentences each. Explain the limits of the family’s victory and compare one action in Jacobs with the family’s legal strategy. Additional completion time is available Monday.
Homework: Continue Jacobs for October 30. Finish Wright responses with class support today or Monday.
October 26–30 · Comparing strategies and preparing for Seminar 1
Monday, October 26 · All sections
Due today: Submit your shared Word essay link on Canvas by 3:25 p.m. Finish the three Wright responses in your notebook during class.
In class: Use the first 10 minutes to finish Wright responses. Then read both pages of the California Law Handout. Identify who controlled custody, earnings, and hiring. Write two sentences: one explaining a power the law authorized, and one identifying a question the law cannot answer about an individual’s resistance.
Homework: Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Tuesday, October 27 · Sections 2 and 3
In class: Spend 25 minutes on Douglass Handouts, pages 2–3. Read the supplied literacy and resistance excerpts in pairs and write the brief comparison. Use the final 15 minutes to read Jacobs.
Homework: Continue Jacobs for October 30. No full Douglass chapter is assigned.
Wednesday, October 28 · All sections
In class: Use Westward Expansion Handouts, page 3. Read the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo excerpt and compare three proposals for slavery in western territories. Build a shared explanation on the board and complete the short causal response. Revisit Eliza’s passage on page 2.
Homework: Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Thursday, October 29 · Section 1
In class: Complete the Douglass lesson, pages 2–3, followed by 15 minutes of Jacobs reading.
Homework: Finish the opening materials and Chapters I–X for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, October 30 · All sections
Due before class: Opening materials and Chapters I–X.
In class: Complete the brief paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 1. Discuss the Preface’s intended audience, family strategies, Benjamin’s resistance, and limits on marriage and bodily autonomy. Use the Seminar 1 Guide.
Homework: Read Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. Submit the Seminar 1 reflection by November 2 at 3:25 p.m.
November 2–6 · Freedom seekers and sectional crisis
Monday, November 2 · All sections
Due today: Seminar 1 reflection on Canvas by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Read pages 1–2 of Northup Excerpts and Reading Guide. Discuss the page 3 questions in pairs and as a class. Write one 3–4-sentence notebook response using two details. Consider why an unsuccessful strategy can still reveal agency.
Homework: Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. No full Northup chapter is required.
Tuesday, November 3 · Sections 2 and 3
In class: Use “The Compromise Reached the North,” page 4. Read the overview and supplied Jacobs preview. Explain a causal link between territorial politics and the risks faced by freedom seekers. Write the 2–3-sentence exit response.
Homework: Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9.
Wednesday, November 4 · All sections
In class: Read your Dover copy for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 2 Guide to clarify characters, annotate a supplied passage, and ask questions.
Homework: Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. No additional written assignment.
Thursday, November 5 · Section 1
In class: Complete the Compromise of 1850 lesson using Westward Expansion Handouts, page 4. Explain how a settlement over western territory changed risks in the North.
Homework: Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9.
Friday, November 6 · All sections
Calendar note: Upper school meets. The conferences listed for this date apply only to PK–5.
In class: Use Road to Civil War Handouts, page 1. Read the Kansas–Nebraska and Dred Scott selections. Connect changes in territorial rules, elections, violence, party politics, and federal power. Compare the Scotts’ legal action with the Wright family’s case.
Homework: Finish Chapters XI–XXI for Monday’s seminar.
November 9–13 · Seminar 2 and reading support
Monday, November 9 · All sections
Due before class: Chapters XI–XXI.
In class: Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 2. Discuss motherhood, Uncle Fred’s pursuit of literacy, flight, and hiding. Evaluate the garret as both a strategy and a place of severe physical deprivation. Use the Seminar 2 Guide.
Homework: Read Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20. Submit the Seminar 2 reflection by November 13 at 3:25 p.m. No work is due November 10–12.
Tuesday, November 10 · Sections 2 and 3, if scheduled
In class: Early dismissal. If the special timetable includes history, use the shortened period for reading or questions. There is no new assessed content.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Wednesday, November 11 · No school
Veterans Day. No classes or deadlines.
Thursday, November 12 · No upper-school classes
Conferences. No classes or deadlines.
Friday, November 13 · All sections
Due today: Seminar 2 reflection on Canvas by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Read Jacobs for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 3 Guide to trace family members, helpers, and the letter strategy.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
November 16–20 · Crisis, comparison, and Seminar 3
Monday, November 16 · All sections
In class: Use Road to Civil War Handouts, pages 2–3. Discuss Harriet Newby’s appeal, the Republican platform, and secessionists’ claims. In small groups, order the paper event cards and explain two causal links. Finish with the 4–5-sentence turning-point response.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Tuesday, November 17 · Sections 2 and 3
In class: Read Jacobs for 25 minutes. Use the final 15 minutes to identify a promising comparison and check a citation using the essay planning directions below. You may begin planning in the shared Word file; no separate planning submission is due today.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Wednesday, November 18 · All sections
In class: For 20 minutes, compare the supplied letter passage in the Seminar 3 Guide, the Wright excerpts, and one marked detail from your Northup or Douglass handout. Discuss an action, a constraint, and a source limitation. Read Jacobs for the final 20 minutes.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Thursday, November 19 · Section 1
In class: Read Jacobs for 25 minutes. Spend 15 minutes on a possible comparison and citation using the essay planning directions. No separate planning submission is due today.
Homework: Finish Chapters XXII–XXXI for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, November 20 · All sections
Due before class: Chapters XXII–XXXI.
In class: Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 3. Discuss misleading letters, William’s escape, Aunt Nancy, and the journey to Philadelphia. Use the Seminar 3 Guide. Reserve the final five minutes to jot notes for your reflection.
Homework: The Seminar 3 reflection is due November 30 at 3:25 p.m. You will have class time to finish it after the break. No required unit work over Thanksgiving break.
Thanksgiving break
Monday, November 23 · Special school program
Grandparents & Special Friends; Thanksgiving vacation begins afterward. There is no regular Unit 3 lesson or deadline. No required unit reading, reflection work, or essay work over the break. School resumes November 30.
November 30–December 4 · Finish Jacobs
Monday, November 30 · All sections
Due today: Seminar 3 reflection on Canvas by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Use the first 10 minutes to revisit your seminar notes, finish the reflection, and submit it. Read Chapters XXXII–XLI for the next 30 minutes. Use the Seminar 4 Guide. No advance holiday reading or reflection work is expected.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Tuesday, December 1 · Sections 2 and 3
In class: Read Jacobs for 25 minutes, then discuss a passage connecting northern life to the Compromise of 1850. Clarify names and terms and keep brief annotations in your book or notebook.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Wednesday, December 2 · All sections
In class: Read Jacobs for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 4 Guide to choose passages and clarify questions. No additional worksheet or source reading is assigned.
Homework: Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Thursday, December 3 · Section 1
In class: Read Jacobs for 25 minutes, then discuss a passage connecting northern life to the fugitive law. Clarify unfamiliar names and terms.
Homework: Finish Chapters XXXII–XLI for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, December 4 · All sections
Due before class: Chapters XXXII–XLI, finishing the narrative.
In class: Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 4. Discuss family reunification, northern racism, the fugitive law, authorship, and “Free at Last.” Use the Seminar 4 Guide. Revisit the essay prompt.
Homework: Prepare your thesis and opening paragraph in Word for December 7 at 3:25 p.m. The Seminar 4 reflection is also due on Canvas then.
December 7–16 · Essay completion alongside the next unit
All checkpoints below occur on shared meeting days. Other class meetings follow the next unit’s assignment sheet.
Monday, December 7 · All sections
Due today: Thesis and opening paragraph in Word; Seminar 4 reflection on Canvas. Both are due by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Use the first 10–15 minutes to draft and confer about your argument. The rest of class begins the next unit.
Homework: Prepare the body-paragraph plan for December 9.
Wednesday, December 9 · All sections
Due today: Topic sentences, research points, proposed footnotes, and analysis plan by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Use the first 10 minutes to review the plan and begin turning one part into prose. The rest of class follows the next unit.
Homework: Complete the full draft for December 11.
Friday, December 11 · All sections
Due today: Complete 4–5-page draft with footnotes and bibliography by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Use the first 5–10 minutes to check the draft against the requirements. Complete any remaining work before the deadline.
Homework: Bring the complete draft ready for December 14 peer review. Read it using the single 100-point rubric below.
Monday, December 14 · All sections
Due today: Four-category self-evaluation and revision priorities in Word by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Spend the first 25 minutes on structured peer review. Exchange drafts, leave three specific comments, discuss a strength and a revision, and choose two priorities. The rest of class follows the next unit.
Homework: Revise the essay and update your self-evaluation for December 16.
Wednesday, December 16 · All sections
Due today: Final essay, footnotes, bibliography, and updated self-evaluation by 3:25 p.m.
In class: Use the first 10 minutes for final revision, quotation checks, proofreading, and sharing verification. Mr. Cutler will review the document’s available version history.
Submission: Submit the same shared Word link on Canvas and keep editing access enabled.
Final hybrid essay · Agency under constraint
Agency means taking purposeful action within constraints. It does not necessarily produce legal freedom or full control over one’s life. Explain what a person wanted, what the person did, what made the action possible, and what limited the outcome.
Evidence requirements
- Keep Jacobs central: roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of your analysis. Closely analyze at least four passages from across the book, including its beginning, middle, and ending. Explain at least three forms of agency. Include a passage that complicates your claim or reveals a cost or limit.
- Use the Wright excerpts: include one detail from Source A about the family’s legal action and one from Source B about the result and its limits. Connect the comparison to your argument about Jacobs.
- Choose Northup or Douglass: use one or two details to deepen a comparison about a strategy, constraint, ally, or outcome.
- Explain context: connect a Jacobs passage to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law or another relevant development studied in class.
- Cite your evidence: use Chicago-style footnotes for quotations, paraphrases, and source-based claims, plus a bibliography.
Minimum sources: Jacobs, the Wright court report, and either Northup or Douglass. These three primary works are sufficient. Additional research and a California comparison are optional.
Format: 4–5 full pages of essay text; 12-point Times New Roman; double-spaced; one-inch margins; meaningful title; page numbers. Footnotes, bibliography, planning notes, and self-evaluation do not count toward the page requirement. Use historical past tense and clear, formal writing.
Historical care: Do not equate agency with consent to enslavement, rank suffering, or suggest that people who remained enslaved lacked courage. Examine costs and limits without assuming that every strategy succeeded. Where relevant, explain how Jacobs challenged enslavers’ appeals to property, religion, protection, or obedience.
One shared Microsoft Word online file
- Name your file LastName_FirstName_Unit3_Agency and store it in your school OneDrive.
- Share it directly with Mr. Cutler’s school account with editing access and submit its link on Canvas.
- Plan, draft, and revise in this same Word online file in class and at home.
- Keep the essay first, followed by the bibliography, self-evaluation, and clearly labeled planning notes.
- Check that changes have saved. Report access or saving problems promptly so you can arrange a recovery plan.
- Submit the same link at the final deadline and leave sharing enabled.
Academic integrity: No AI writing tools, AI editing tools, or paraphrasers, including ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Grammarly AI, and QuillBot. Basic spell-check is allowed. Write and revise your own argument. AI misuse receives a zero under the course policy.
Ready-to-use Jacobs passage starters
These short excerpts provide starting points. Read the surrounding passage in your Dover copy before using one. You may select other passages that better support your argument.
Chapter X · Choices under coercion
I knew what I did, and I did it with deliberate calculation.
What did Linda hope to change through her relationship with Sands? Explain this passage in the context of Flint’s sexual coercion and the limits on her choices. Read Chapter X.
Chapter XIII · Literacy and mutual support
I have no thoughts of refusing to teach you. I only told you of the law, that you might know the danger, and be on your guard.
Linda spoke to Uncle Fred about learning to read. How did teaching combine agency, mutual support, and risk? Read Chapter XIII.
Chapter XXV · Information, deception, and allies
I resolved to match my cunning against his cunning. In order to make him believe that I was in New York, I resolved to write him a letter dated from that place.
Identify the false location, the information Linda needed, and the helpers who made the strategy possible. What remained outside her control? Read Chapter XXV.
Chapter XLI · Freedom and its limits
The dream of my life is not yet realized. I do not sit with my children in a home of my own.
Distinguish legal freedom from a secure, independent family life. How might this passage qualify your thesis? Read Chapter XLI.
Wright family · The same guide used in class
Class task: Read the two-page PDF and answer its three numbered questions in your notebook, using 2–3 sentences per answer. All required Wright reading is supplied in that PDF.
- Source A: What did the family want, and what did they do to pursue it? Use a detail to explain agency. Cite the court report, printed p. 134.
- Source B: What did the family win, and what important limit did the court place on its ruling? Cite printed p. 144.
- Jacobs comparison: Compare one action in Jacobs with the Wright family’s action. Explain a similarity or difference in strategy or constraint and cite the Jacobs chapter. Her father’s efforts to purchase his children in Chapter I provide one starting point.
Historical context: Hudgins v. Wrights was decided in 1806; the report was published in 1808. Treat it as an earlier precedent. The claim involved Indigenous maternal ancestry, but the report does not establish a specific tribal affiliation. The court’s account does not preserve the family’s full personal testimony.
Optional research and verification: Wright Research Guide · William & Mary case overview and references · Original report, printed p. 134 · Original decree, printed p. 144.
Choose Northup or Douglass for the additional comparison
Northup: use the supplied Chapter XVI and XIX excerpts to compare the attempted letter through Armsby with the later plan involving Bass. Ask why communication required both initiative and trustworthy assistance. Account for Northup’s status as a free-born man who had been kidnapped.
Northup Excerpts and Guide ↗ Complete Twelve Years a Slave · optional
Douglass: use the supplied literacy, Sabbath-school, or Covey passages. Explain what a strategy changed and why agency did not immediately equal legal freedom.
Agency and Douglass Handouts ↗ Chapter VII · Chapter X
Build the body-paragraph plan
For each planned body paragraph, include:
- An analytical topic sentence stating the paragraph’s claim.
- A specific research point or short quotation, its exact location, and a proposed footnote.
- A second research point, location, and proposed footnote. Both points may come from the same source.
- Two or three sentences explaining how the evidence supports the claim and what comparison or limit matters.
Claim: Linda used control over information to redirect Flint’s search, but her strategy depended on other people’s cooperation.
Evidence 1: In Chapter XXV, she arranged for a letter to be mailed from New York while she remained concealed.
Evidence 2: Peter helped arrange a trustworthy messenger and provided a newspaper containing street information.
Analysis: Explain why the mailing location made the deception persuasive. Then explain why planning alone was insufficient and why the letters did not end the legal claim over Linda. A brief Northup comparison could sharpen this point. Add the actual Dover page numbers and footnotes.
Footnotes and bibliography
Insert actual footnotes in Word and place the note number after the sentence’s punctuation. Cite quotations, paraphrases, and source-based claims. A bibliography alone does not identify the evidence behind each claim. Replace bracketed instructions in the models below.
- Jacobs, Dover copy: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl ([publication place shown in your copy]: Dover Publications, [year shown in your copy]), [page]. Later note: Jacobs, Incidents, [page].
- Jacobs, emergency online text: Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Written by Herself, ed. L. Maria Child (Boston: Published for the Author, 1861), chap. XXV, “Competition in Cunning,” Project Gutenberg chapter link. Include the actual URL in your footnote and change the chapter to match your evidence.
- Wright Source A: Hudgins v. Wrights, 11 Va. (1 Hen. & Mun.) 134, 134 (1806). Later note for Source B: Hudgins v. Wrights, 144. Use the original printed page numbers shown with the supplied excerpts.
- Northup: Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (Auburn, NY: Derby and Miller, 1853), chap. XVI, 230–31, Project Gutenberg chapter link. This example identifies the letter-making passage; use the chapter and printed page of your actual selection.
- Douglass: Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself (Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1845), chap. VII, Project Gutenberg chapter link. Include the actual URL and change the chapter when needed.
Bibliography: alphabetize entries, invert authors’ names, and list the title, publication information, and URL when applicable. Omit the particular passage’s page or chapter from the book’s bibliography entry. Include the Wright case for this assignment. Use your Dover edition’s actual publication information.
Example: Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years a Slave. Auburn, NY: Derby and Miller, 1853. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45631/45631-h/45631-h.htm.
For optional research, identify the author or responsible institution, title, publication or site, date when available, exact location where relevant, and URL. For an undated webpage, record your actual access date. Cite the primary court report for its reproduced excerpts and distinguish it from the handout’s modern explanation.
December 14 · Peer review in class
Bring the complete December 11 draft. Share your existing Word file with your assigned partner’s school account using review/comment access if available. Keep Mr. Cutler’s editing access. Comment without rewriting your partner’s sentences.
- 0–3 minutes: exchange links and share one question about your argument.
- 3–15 minutes: read and leave three specific comments—one on the thesis/opening, one on Jacobs evidence and analysis, and one on a comparison or citation.
- 15–22 minutes: discuss a strength and a useful revision, pointing to exact wording or footnotes.
- 22–25 minutes: choose two revision priorities and begin revising. Finish the self-evaluation by 3:25 p.m.
Useful feedback: “Your paragraph quotes Linda’s letter strategy, but another sentence explaining why she needed a trusted messenger would make the analysis clearer.” If absent or unable to access a partner’s file, ask Mr. Cutler for a partner or teacher-feedback alternative.
Essay Self-Evaluation Rubric · 100 Points
This is the single rubric for your self-evaluation and Mr. Cutler’s assessment. Propose a whole-number score for each category using the descriptions below. Add the four scores for a total out of 100. Your proposed score is not automatically your final grade; Mr. Cutler assesses the essay using these same criteria.
December 14: after the bibliography in your shared Word file, write 2–3 sentences for each category. Explain your proposed score using a specific paragraph, passage, footnote, or presentation feature, and identify one concrete revision. December 16: update those same four entries and your total to reflect the final essay and the revisions you completed.
1. Thesis and Opening Paragraph · 25 points
23–25: The introduction establishes accurate, focused context. The thesis makes a specific, arguable claim about how Jacobs exercised agency and what limited or complicated its results. The purpose of the supporting comparisons is clear.
20–22: The thesis is defensible and the opening provides useful context, but a strategy, limit, or comparison needs sharper explanation.
15–19: The thesis is broad or mostly descriptive. The introduction relies heavily on summary or leaves the essay’s central argument unclear.
0–14: The thesis is missing, unclear, inaccurate, or insufficiently connected to the assignment. The opening does not establish the historical question effectively.
My proposed score: ___ / 25
Evidence from my essay: ___
Revision planned or completed: ___
2. Evidence, Analysis, and Footnote Citations · 40 points
36–40: Accurate, well-chosen evidence drives the argument. Jacobs remains central, with at least four passages from across the narrative, at least three forms of agency, and a meaningful complication or limit. Wright Sources A and B and Northup or Douglass sharpen the comparison. Historical context is relevant. Analysis explains how strategies worked and why outcomes differed. Quotations, paraphrases, and source-based claims have accurate footnotes identifying the evidence’s location.
32–35: Evidence is relevant and generally accurate, with most requirements fulfilled and citations mostly complete. Some passages, comparisons, or limits need fuller analysis or more precise source locations.
24–31: Summary frequently replaces analysis. Several evidence requirements are incomplete, comparisons are superficial, or footnotes are missing or unclear in multiple places.
0–23: Major claims lack support, required sources receive little meaningful attention, sources are misrepresented, or citations do not allow the evidence to be checked.
My proposed score: ___ / 40
Evidence from my essay, including paragraph or footnote numbers: ___
Revision planned or completed: ___
3. Clear and Effective Writing · 20 points
18–20: Analytical topic sentences, logical organization, clear transitions, precise verbs, and readable sentences carry the argument. Paragraphs develop distinct claims. Historical past tense and a formal voice are consistent. Errors are minimal.
16–17: Writing is generally clear and organized, with occasional repetition, vague wording, mechanical errors, or abrupt transitions.
12–15: Repeated unclear sentences, weak paragraph focus, plot summary, or mechanical problems interrupt the reasoning.
0–11: Organization and sentence-level problems make the argument difficult to follow. Paragraphs lack clear purposes or connections.
My proposed score: ___ / 20
Evidence from my essay: ___
Revision planned or completed: ___
4. Overall Presentation · 15 points
14–15: The essay contains 4–5 full pages of essay text and follows the required formatting. It has a meaningful title, page numbers, readable footnotes, a complete bibliography, and clearly separated planning and self-evaluation. The shared Word link works and Mr. Cutler retains editing access.
12–13: The submission is complete and readable, with minor formatting, proofreading, bibliography, or organization issues.
9–11: Several required presentation elements are missing or inconsistent, or the length and bibliography need attention.
0–8: The submission is incomplete or difficult to navigate. Major formatting, bibliography, length, or access requirements are unmet.
My proposed score: ___ / 15
Evidence from my submission: ___
Revision planned or completed: ___
Thesis and opening: ___ / 25
Evidence, analysis, and footnotes: ___ / 40
Clear writing: ___ / 20
Presentation: ___ / 15
Total: ___ / 100
Example of a useful explanation: “Evidence and analysis: 33/40. In paragraph 3, I explain how Linda’s letters depended on allies, but my Wright comparison still summarizes Source B. I will explain what the ruling’s limits reveal about the difference between a successful legal claim and broader freedom.” Refer to what your own essay actually does.
Class handouts and primary sources
Mr. Cutler will distribute paper copies. Use these PDFs for a replacement, class preparation, or essay reference. Readings and handouts require no additional login. The shared essay document requires your school Microsoft account.
Additional primary-source access
- Missouri Compromise · National Archives
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo · National Archives
- Compromise of 1850 · National Archives
- Kansas–Nebraska Act · National Archives
- Dred Scott decision · National Archives
- John Brown’s raid and Harriet Newby excerpt · National Park Service
- Republican Party platform, 1860 · American Presidency Project
- Election of 1860 results · National Archives
- South Carolina declaration of causes, December 24, 1860 · Yale Avalon Project
- California’s 1850 statute volume · Chapter 133, printed pp. 408–410
Optional practice: Westward expansion and Senate representation model. This adds no required homework and does not replace the class handouts.
Historical language: Sources include racist language and accounts of sexual coercion and violence. Analyze the language in context; do not repeat slurs aloud. Speak privately with Mr. Cutler if you need a passage-based alternative.
Final submission checklist
- My essay contains 4–5 full pages of my own analysis.
- Jacobs remains central, with four passages from across the narrative, three forms of agency, and a meaningful complication or limit.
- I use Wright Sources A and B and a brief Northup or Douglass comparison.
- I explain relevant historical context.
- I verify quotations and provide accurate footnotes and a bibliography.
- I complete and update all four self-evaluation categories and a proposed total out of 100.
- I use the same Word file, confirm Mr. Cutler’s editing access, and submit its link by December 16 at 3:25 p.m.
School-calendar changes will be announced in class and on Canvas. This page contains the current essay requirements and the single 100-point rubric for this assignment.